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Best places to eat in Athens Greece

Below you can find the best places to eat in Athens Greece. And guess what? I’ve visited the majority of them during my week long holiday there! Too much food? Leave the diets for another destination, because Athens is definitely a foodie place 🙂

A place for local visitors, I didn’t see any foreigner besides myself…

Live music on Fridays or any other day – check out the updates in the event section on their facebook page

A family run business, so I’m a supporter of them by default. Originally a wine shop, started by Markou family, promoting wine from Markou’s vineyards.

Home-made, rustic food

Orea Penteli – a 3-floored Greek restaurant, using a food elevator for sending meals from kitchen to the tables upstairs. The band playing in Orea Penteli was even better than in the previous tavern, I really loved the singer’s voice! Besides the music, it’s worth coming for traditional Greek food, lots of wine and local atmosphere.

In case you have problems with finding the exact location it must be shown here

Taverna Tour Psirri – another tavern just next to the ones above, again with music, home-made food, and locals highly recommending it!

Best restaurants in Sounio, Poseidon’s Temple

Taverna Ilias – another family restaurant which I unfortunately couldn’t visit, it’s functioning since 1944, but seems like is closed during Christmas holidays. They have an impressive terrace on the coast, just next to the sea waves, facing the Poseidon Temple in Sounio. It’s a traditional Greek fish tavern.

Akrogiali – the neighbour restaurant which was open during my visit to Sounio 😀 With a smaller terrace, but maybe that’s why cozier, great and tested personally by me seafood meals, and that very important Poseidon Temple view. The always present crowd of cats around is a tradition in Akrogiali, they are strong, brave and demanding creatures, and won’t let you overconsume the food! Again, a bit more detailed review is in the my article about Athens.

Both restaurants are located around 20 min walking down from the temple itself. Which is okay, if you don’t mind to climb up the hill after diner, or have a car which takes you back to civilization 🙂

Rooftop restaurants in Athens

Couleur Locale – my favourite breakfast spot in Athens, although it’s nice for lunch and dinner as well! A hidden gem in the passeiges of Monastiraki market, rewarding those who made it to the place with a rooftop excellence.

The rooftop terrace comes with a view of Acropolis, umbrellas and long tables to share 🙂

By the way, I won their IG contest, but couldn’t get the price, since was ‘awarded’ after leaving Athens 🙁

Strofi Restaurant Athens – maybe the best restaurant in Athens! That’s quoting thought in mine, and my guest’s mind when dining in Strofi. Exclusive, sophisticated Greek cuisine, which has nothing to do with souvlaki or moussaka (which are great rustic meals, not designed for elegant dining).

Strofi is one of the most historic restaurants in Athens, located in a mid-war building, it’s serving high cuisine since 1975. They have indoor and an outdoor dining hall, which is on a rooftop terrace, but it’s unfortunately covered in winter. Which doesn’t leave you without Acropolis views, they just look a bit blurry on photos))

Talking about the menu – we shared two main courses – lamb wrapped in vine leaves and goat baked in parchment paper, both were exquisite! Besides that they won my heart by serving chestnut cake for desert (never spot none of these meals elsewhere in Athens). Highly recommend for dinner if you want to impress someone, or just eager for a mouthwatering session! Book online

GB ROOF GARDEN – highly rated cocktail bar and high level cuisine restaurant. As its name states it’s located on the rooftop terrace of Grande Bretagne Hotel, you can choose an open-air, or indoor table. I enjoyed a couple of cocktails on their open-air terrace and can describe it as high quality combined with a feeling of being somewhere far, far away, from the buzzling Syntagma square, where the hotel actually is (god bless rooftop terraces!)

Although locals and those who had already have the chance to fulfill themselves with Acropolis views, choose a different place within GB Hotel – their Winter Garden. It’s located downstairs, on the ground floor, and I would prefer it for a High Tea meeting. I guess you’ll have the same feeling, after seeing it :>

Gambling, food and mountains

Regency Casino Mont Parnes – 1055 Café Restaurant – a restaurant at an altitude of 1055 m! I couldn’t try it out because that particular day they were open only after 7 pm. However I think it’s definitely worth trying, just because it’s definitely worth getting up to Mont Parnes using the casino’s free cable car service! Read about my experience on Casino Mont Parnes cable car here in Athens – my experience.

Talking about the restaurant – they offer many options for visitors – from coffee to buffet, a la carte or D’Haute table menu. Check out on their page!

Romantic places to eat in Athens

Noel – another super dear place to my heart, although I didn’t spend too much time here (and still crying for that!) Noel is a whole year round holiday bar & restaurant, yeah, jingle bells never stop! It’s beautiful, and perhaps the most beautiful place you’ll ever spot in Athens. You enter into a weirdly shaped bar, which will lead you to their restaurant (but it actually looks like an expensive vintage styled five star cinema!). There you’ll have red carpet, shine, magic, and even more jingle bells! But to enter to the restaurant part you’ll need a reservation (do it, you won’t regret).

On the other hand their bar is open to anyone who finds a free chair :>Someone will come to serve you as soon as you’ll find a seating place, and then you’ll meet face-to-face with their wonderland cocktail menu… No words, just a few pics

They taste like heaven, the cocktails are so smooth that you actually feel like drinking a shake made of fluffy clouds! Each cocktail comes with a small pot of popcorn on house 😀

A bistro with fine food

Mani Mani – many people say it’s the best restaurant in Athens… Although I can’t agree, but it’s also hard to oppose, because definitely Mani Mani has its charm. Some bullet points to judge:

Located on the 1st floor of a neoclassic house, on a silent street, not visible unless you know where you go and what are you looking for. You won’t really meet there people who just walked around, spotted and decided to enter. It’s a place for those who knew why they came here.

They don’t really advertise themselves, New York Times did, when recommending Mani Mani as one of the best spots in Athens

The food is classy – just as with Strofi, you won’t find here traditional ‘taverna’ cuisine, even the Greek salad has nothing to do with largely cut vegetables and a well-known whole piece of feta.

But if you don’t get the food’s charm, if somehow it’s not your taste – welcome to my club 🙂

Thea Thalassa – a glass terrace facing the marina in Piraeus, attracted us with its white & blue table cloths, somehow reminding me ‘Zorba the Greek’. The food was amazing, just as their rose, and especially impressed their ouzo selection 😀

Almost next to it you’ll find Varoulko Seaside – officially awarded as the best restaurant in Piraeus, its chef – Lefteris Lazarou was awarded a Michelin star for the 10th time in a row in 2011. Funny, but he started his career in the age of 15, when he helped his father (a ship-chef) in a ship kitchen during his summer holidays.

Varoulko was our original target when coming to Piraeus, but when we realized it’s a Michelin, we simple weren’t in mood for fine dining, but rather for a grilled fish cooked in a local tavern 🙂

Best tavern in Aegina

O Mantas sto Kima – a traditional Greek restaurant on the coast of Aegina, overlooking the bright sunset available only for the visitors of the island. The food felt like it’s been cooked by my Greek grandma (which I never had), and the portions are exactly as big as your grandma would serve :)They also have live music quite often, check out, just in case you’re going to stay in Aegina overnight!

To sum up and set your expectations clear – 90 % of these restaurants are tested and approved by me 🙂 This list of best places to eat in Athens will be enough for a week of stay in Athens and its surroundings, if you follow my itinerary 😉